Boston is referred to by the nicknames "Beantown", "The Hub" and the "Athens of America". The Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon. Boston is also the home of the oldest public park in the US. Boston Common was purchased in 1634 by the citizens of Boston and in 1640 it was set aside for public use.

The first post office in America was established in Boston in 1639 and in 1652, the first mint in English America was established here.

At the time of the 2000 census, the city of Boston had a population of 589,141 living in 239,528 households. The median age was 31.1 yrs.